Small Bump
by Sleepoversat3B
Summary: One summer, Aria Montgomery finds out a piece of news that will change her life forever. As she and Ezra come to terms with the life changing discovery, their relationship is tested and strengthened by raging hormones and judgmental peers. But one stormy November evening, things take a turn for the worst, and Aria looses all hope in everything she has ever known.


**So I've been working on this for a while, and it was originally going to be just a oneshot, however, it's become rather long and complex, so I think it's going to ultimately be a twoshot, maybe a threeshot. A word of warning, it's quite raw, and at times there will be a lot of emotion, but I really hope you enjoy because I've invested a lot of time into this story. **

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_Some would say that the gift of life deserves to be given to a person who needs it most, whether that be physically or emotionally. Some would also argue that perhaps dropping an unexpected gift into an unorthodox couple's life would be unfair, not only to the child but to those remaining women around the world who have been stripped of the opportunity of being a mother – for various, unfortunate reasons. When Aria Montgomery worried that she could possibly be placed in this situation, she feared that people would deem her ungrateful and unworthy of being a mother – especially by bringing a child into her world, which was so full of danger and uncertainty. Through many doubts and painstaking nights, Aria decided to do what was best for everyone in the situation, and she couldn't have been happier. That was, until one dark, winter night in November; the night Aria's trust in the world faltered._

_June 19th – 6:00pm_

"Are you going to eat that?"

Aria's worry-filled mind scurried back to the present as her younger brother, Mike, stared down at her slice of peperoni pizza hungrily. "What? No, you can have it," she replied, running her hands through her thick, brunette hair and massaging her throbbing head.

"Sweet." Mike pulled his sister's plate towards his end of the table, and began inhaling the slice just as he had the others in the box.

"Aria, you haven't eaten anything," her mother commented, her tone disapproving as she began to clear away the mess of the family's dinner.

"I'm not hungry. I ate earlier." It was a lie, of course. Aria hadn't been able to eat all day, and even if the pizza had seemed appetizing to her, her churning stomach was convincing her otherwise.

It had been two days since Aria's mind had begun spinning with extreme worry and hysteria, which had led to her shying away from making the move to discover the real truth. She knew that she would have to reveal it to herself sometime, but Aria couldn't help but adopt the attitude of 'what you don't know won't hurt you', and this had been her thought process of the past twenty-four hours. Of course, in this situation, not knowing the truth would definitely be the worst option, and this had provoked an immediate sense of dread and guilt set deep into Aria's bones. Every corner she turned, every signpost she passed on the street; they all told her same thing – she had to face the inevitable truth.

"We're leaving for Mike's lacrosse presentation in two minutes maximum, are you ready?"

Aria hadn't even noticed Ella was standing so close to her, the deepness of her concentration in these rambling thoughts had been so extreme. "I feel a little weird. Would you mind if I skip this one?"

Ella's expression softened as she placed her cool hand on Aria's forehead, obviously checking for any concerning temperatures. "You do feel a little hot. Maybe you should go lay down for a bit; get some peace and quiet."

Aria nodded gratefully to her mother and watched as the family filed out the front door, fussing over untucked shirts and misplaced car keys. Everything was just beginning to get back to normal after years of uncertain relationships and unfaithfulness towards each other. In reality, each member of the Montgomery family had had something to do with dismantling the perfect family picture in the first place, and Aria certainly didn't want to be the person to stir things up again.

She walked up the wooden stairs past a wall of memories. Family portraits hung along the wall, and a hint of a smile graced Aria's lips as she passed one of she and Mike as babies. The siblings sat before a large Christmas tree, smiling sweetly into the camera, and Aria recalled seeing the photograph on Christmas cards which had been sent out to her parent's many friends and family members across the country years ago. Oh how times had changed since those peaceful, innocent days.

Aria walked into her bedroom and pulled out a white, drug store bag from under her bed which contained a light blue box. She had made the trip two days ago; when she'd first realised something wasn't quite right, but had put off actually resolving the problem until now – a time where her mind was settled enough for her to make a rational and needed decision. Aria walked slowly through to the bathroom, her hands shaking more and more as the seconds passed, and her stomach beginning to convulse in unpleasant motions. There was no going back, this time. Today – right now – she would find out the fate of her perhaps reckless actions, and it could be something that she couldn't run away from.

After a torturous three minutes of waiting, Aria finally knew the results. The test had been positive; she was pregnant.

With her English teacher's baby.

This could be the end of it for everyone. Ezra could be fired, or even go to jail if anyone found out. And her parents would certainly make sure of it. But Aria didn't really care for what her parents thought at that moment, all she cared about was what Ezra would think of her. Would his endless love for her be strained by this unplanned mishap? Would he be angry, or just as scared as she was? Surely they would get through this, against all the other battles the two had fought, this was just another bump in the road for them. And if Ezra felt anything like how Aria was beginning to feel, then they sure as hell would make it through this pregnancy together.

Aria swatted at a teardrop which was rolling slowly down her face. When she was younger, she often used to wait until she could see the perfectly round drop in her peripheral vision, watching it in amazement as it made its way down her cheeks. Now she had no time for tears. They weren't necessarily sad tears, in fact, Aria was sure they were happy tears. Either way, her emotions were on high alert, and Aria was sure that at any moment she could be rolled up in a ball sobbing her heart out with the terrifying consequences of the situation she had been placed in.

What she did know, though, was that she had actually picked up some useful knowledge in biology class last year. As soon as Aria had registered the red positive sign on the pregnancy test, she had felt a sudden sense of nurturing and dedication fill her heart. The mothering sensation the hormone Oxytocin released definitely was making a profound appearance in her body. Looking down now, Aria realised that her hands had formed a protective shield around her flat stomach, almost as if she were trying to sooth her unborn child from any of the wild emotions that were flying around her head at that moment.

That was when something in her shifted.

All that mattered now was the small, tiny baby that was currently forming in her womb, just a tiny small bump, which would grow to become a smooth-skinned and curly haired child – a product of her and the man she loved most.

Suddenly, everything that was clouding her judgement about the ordeal seemed to wash away. Sure, she had doubts that maybe she didn't deserve the baby; she hadn't exactly been trying to get pregnant, and this was definitely not ideal timing. Woman who were unable to be impregnated would be livid, knowing that Aria was expecting a baby without even trying. Maybe six months ago if Aria had been told she was going to have a child, she would have considered passing her gift to a couple deserving of a baby, and who would definitely give her child a loving and stable home. But now Aria was faced with the reality – that her body was busy creating a little human being – she felt shameful that she had ever made that judgement before. She felt so highly connected with her little child and she had only known of its presence for a mere ten minutes. Of course, on top of all this, the thought that perhaps she was being selfish did pop into her head; she would never be able to supply for a child like a proper, stable family would – but that didn't mean she wouldn't break her back to try. Aria was going to have this baby, and weather Ezra wanted nothing more to do with her, she would get through it for her child. This was all that mattered to her now, and she was going to fight to give the little guy – or girl – the best life she absolutely could.

_June 19th – 8:15pm_

Aria had been standing outside apartment 3B for over ten minutes, trying to find the courage to knock on the wooden door and make Ezra aware of her presence. When she slipped out of the Montgomery house, she had felt a sudden surge of confidence. She was sure Ezra would want this, that he would support her through everything, as he'd once promised. But now, she felt just as hopeless and uncertain as she had in the minutes after she had discovered that she was carrying his child. More to the fact, it was the embarrassment of having to tell him that she was pregnant which was bothering her. Would he curse himself for dating someone so young, and think she was immature and responsible for all this? Or would he see it how she did; that this baby, so long it were made by Aria and Ezra, was made out of pure love, passion and care – whether it had been unexpected or not.

Finally, she decided to suck it up, and threw three short taps on the door. She gnawed anxiously at her lower lip as she heard his feet clumping towards the door, and worried that maybe she had interrupted him grading class tests or a task that he usually needed full concentration on. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all, Ezra didn't need to know yet, did he? She could wait a while, get checked out by a doctor to make sure everything was okay before getting his hopes up…or relieving him of his fatherly duty. God, what was with all these brain wracking, indecisive thoughts tonight?

"Aria," Ezra said, seeming surprised to see her, but a smile grazed his face nonetheless. However, his grin faltered when he took in her nervous stance and cowered body language. "Aria, what's wrong?" he asked, rushing over to her and wrapping his arms around her protectively.

She breathed in his soapy scent, cherishing his warmth and affection while she still could. Telling Ezra, could change the fate of their whole relationship. But she knew she had no choice but to break the news to him now; he'd find out soon enough by the expansion of her stomach, anyway.

Aria pulled out of Ezra's embrace, and walked over to his brown, worn leather sofa. "Ezra, I have to tell you something," she said, sitting down on the tight leather, causing it to squeak in response.

"Okay." His tone was almost desperate as he came to sit beside her. His handsome face was pulled into a frown of confusion and slight anxiety, and his dark, brown hair was beginning to curl at the ends due to the humid air outside. How could she give this man up, the man who had fought for her through everything? She knew it was selfish of her to think that he wouldn't want her when he found out about the baby, but honestly, she was the one feeling complete and utter guilt about dropping this on him at a high point in his career and, not to mention, the fact that their relationship just became ten times more illegal than it already was.

"I'm…" she began, butterflies dancing in her stomach and the palms of her hands becoming clammy. "Ezra, I'm pregnant."

He was silent. She didn't know what expression graced his face because she didn't dare look at him. Fear began to bubble up inside her, and she was so sure – so incredibly sure – that he hated her.

"You're pregnant," he finally said, his voice hoarse and unsure. "We're having a baby."

Aria couldn't help but look up at his second statement, and saw that tears filled his sparkling, blue eyes. But, unlike she had expected when she walked in here, these were tears of joy, not tears of disdain.

Relief flooded over Aria, and she was sure she had never felt more subdued in her entire life. This was everything she wanted; Ezra was on her side, he was just as on board as she was about having this child. Ezra scooted closer to Aria and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I thought you'd hate me," she sobbed, her emotions suddenly taking over. "I couldn't help but feel that I had completely disappointed you and that you wouldn't want us anymore."

"I could never hate you, Aria. You are the single, most important thing in my life, and I promised you that I would be there for you always. And now, I'll be there for our baby, too." He kissed her lightly on the forehead, and began to stroke her hair in soothing motions that he happened to know she loved. Aria felt silly now for ever thinking that Ezra would resent her for this, it was obvious he had all the love in the world for her, and now their unborn child.

"I love you," she whispered, placing a soft kiss onto his gentle lips, unable to keep the smile of pure delight and joy off of her youthful face.

"I love you too. So much," He replied, kissing her back truthfully and sweetly. "And I love you too, Baby Fitz."

_June 21st – 9:50am_

Ezra sat in his car outside the Rosewood Grille, waiting for Aria to show up so he could take her to their appointment with the doctor to find out more about the baby.

Ezra had been sent into a state of complete shock and bewilderment in the seconds after Aria had told him she was pregnant, but when he rationally thought about the situation, he knew he wasn't doing Aria any favours keeping her in the unknown territory of his reactions. Before he had even made up his mind about what his response to the news was to be, his emotions had spoken for him, and had shown his true response. He was elated. Even though this was taking place in an unpractical timeframe, he knew that this was what he had truly wanted all along, and ultimately what he and Aria were destined to do. There was nothing orthodox about his relationship with Aria, and the fact that this baby was being brought into the world while Aria was only eighteen was just another aspect of it. But that didn't mean that it was wrong. Ezra and Aria had created this baby out of complete love and desire for each other, and that was all that really mattered.

His mind had been continually playing images of what he hoped the future would look like; he and Aria walking in a snow covered park, a little infant toddling along between them, wearing a snow suit so padded that she looked like a sumo wrestler. Aria laughed at their wobbling child, scooping her up into her arms and placing a kiss on the toddlers red nose, and Ezra wrapped his arms around the two affectionately, a smile of pride and love on his cold face.

He had caught himself dreaming this fantasy over the past few days, and it was a great relief from thinking about the negative drawbacks the pregnancy was sure to bring. There was the fact that Aria was only seventeen years old, and currently only had just over a month until she had to return to school for her senior year of high school. There was also the problem that he was her teacher still, which – with her being pregnant – would only raise further scandal and the threat of their secret relationship being found out. But the main worry that had been toiling with Ezra's mind had been breaking the news to Aria's parents.

Ella and Byron Montgomery of course knew of Aria's relationship with Ezra, and the couple had spent the past year and a half they had been together trying to convince Aria's parents that their relationship was true and real. Over the course of their journey, they had been broken up, forbidden to see each other, and had both lost just as much as they had gained. But, over the past five months or so, Ella and Byron had somehow 'looked the other way' to Aria's relationship with Ezra. It was as if there were no questions asked, however, Byron couldn't help but still show his distaste toward Ezra and he had in no way welcomed the man his daughter loved into his home, and Ezra was content on it staying this way. Except it couldn't, obviously.

Ezra was sure that he could take another of Byron and Ella's lectures; that wasn't the problem. The problem was that while Ella and Byron had been showing a blind eye to their daughter's relationship, Ezra couldn't help but sense the whispered, unsaid terms and conditions that came with this agreement. And Ezra certainly knew that getting their daughter pregnant was not part of the deal, which was why he felt as if he had taken advantage of Ella Montgomery's kind and reserved judgement.

But he let that burden slip to the back of his mind while he still could; in the end, it was ultimately Aria's decision how they broke the news to her parents, and he would support her in whatever she chose to do.

He spotted Aria, then. Her long, brown hair was pulled over into a loose side braid, and she was wearing a navy blue floral dress with a fitted, leather jacket on top. She looked beautiful, and Ezra definitely did notice the extra spring in her step and the glow her gorgeous, ivory skin possessed as she slipped into his car. "Hey," she said, placing a long, firm kiss onto his lips. "I got you coffee." She passed him the paper cup, and then proceeded to fasten her seatbelt.

"Thank you," Ezra said, taking a sip of the delicious, hot liquid. "Wait, you've moved on to those iced things, now?" he questioned, taking in her lack of a paper cup, which had been exchanged for a plastic, iced drink.

"Don't. These things have nothing in them," Aria moaned, taking a sip from the red, plastic straw.

"It doesn't taste good?" Ezra asked, beginning to put the car into drive mode.

"No, it tastes great. It just doesn't make a fair and equal substitute for real coffee, which is what I really, really need to wake me up right now."

Ezra was perplexed for a moment as to why Aria hadn't just ordered her regular soy latte, but then he remembered pregnant woman weren't generally supposed to have coffee or a very high caffeine intake, and he giggled at the thought of how Aria was probably beginning to detest this rule. "No more coffee for you, then!" Ezra teased, pulling out onto the main road and heading in the direction of the doctor's surgery on the outskirts of Rosewood.

"Hey! That's not funny," she protested, punching him playfully on the arm.

"Look at you, you're so pent up about it," he continued, knowing full well he was chancing his luck with her, but he did it anyway to see her reaction.

"You know, I'm sure I read somewhere that the father of the baby has to give up coffee too," Aria said, giving Ezra a stern look.

"No you didn't," he said, surprised at Aria's sudden crankiness. Maybe this whole 'no coffee' rule was going to affect them greater than he thought.

"I know. But I'm sure I could come up with something, if you really wanted to fully support me on the days where I'm suffering the most without my beloved soy latte." A devilish smile crossed her face, and began to giggle. Ezra was sure up for a rollercoaster ride of dealing with Aria's crazy hormones the next nine months, but he also knew that it would be the months that the two of them would explore more of each other than they ever had before.

_June 22nd – 12pm_

Aria had been restless all night long, barely getting any sleep and needing to get up to use the bathroom on more than three occasions. Now, she sat at the Grille, yawning every couple of minutes and willing herself to stay awake as she waited for her three best friends to arrive.

Yesterday, the doctor had confirmed that she was, in fact, pregnant and that she was around four weeks along in her first trimester. Somehow, having the doctor confirm it and assure her exactly the size of her baby had made everything feel even more real, and Aria now knew that she not only had to keep her baby healthy and happy after it was born, but she had to keep herself healthy and happy while the foetus was growing in order for it to develop completely and be the exact creation she and Ezra had planned for it to be. They had scheduled an appointment for three weeks' time, where Aria would have her first ultrasound scan and she and Ezra would get the first glimpse of their baby. Aria had been told the many risks of teenage pregnancy that could impact both her and the baby, but the doctor had reassured her that they would be keeping a special eye on her and she would be brought in for regular scans and tests to check everything was as it should be. Aria and Ezra had both been swarmed with information, and had been given many pamphlets and books about becoming new parents, and by the end of it all Aria had been completely exhausted, but also extremely excited and anxious for the nine months that were to come, and she undoubtedly knew they would be the longest months of her life. But she would have Ezra there for her throughout it all, and she knew that (even though it didn't seem like it at the moment) they would be prepared when the baby came along.

Now, she had the job of breaking the news to the three girls who she had gone through everything with and who knew her better than anyone. Aria was hoping that they would support her decision to keep the baby, and was almost certain that they would want to be a part of her child's upbringing. She had managed to tell Ezra, so telling the girls would be a breeze compared to him, right? Wrong.

As soon as she spotted Hanna, Emily and Spencer walking into the Grille, her heart dropped and she began to clam up. She listened to them talk about Spencer's luxury vacation in Antigua with her family, and she nodded her head appreciatively when Hanna suggested the four of them have a girls weekend away in Spencer's lake house at the Poconos.

They had been at the Grille for almost forty minutes before Aria realised that she had to tell her friends about her and Ezra's child. If she didn't now, she would only feel worse each time she saw them until she finally had to break the news. "I'm pregnant," she said almost nonchalantly, interrupting Hanna during a rant about the low quality of a pair of Dior heels she had recently bought.

"And I'm dating Prince Harry," Spencer snorted, dismissing Aria's comment and beginning to gush over her latest 'celebrity crush'.

Aria shook her head, and began to play with the unappetizing food which sat untouched on her face. They might not believe her just now, but they sure as hell would in a couple of months' time when she started showing.

"Guys," Emily said, and the conversation began to dwindle. Aria knew they were watching her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at them.

"Wait…you're not serious, are you?" Spencer asked, her tone wavering with uncertainty and guilt.

Aria finally looked up, chewing her bottom lip anxiously as she nodded yes.

The girls fell into a deadly silence, each of them looking at each other, and seeming to turn to face back at Aria in synchronization. What Aria found funny through all of this was that each of their face's painted a different picture. On Emily's was a look of unmistakable sympathy, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Hanna's possessed a more rational look, although Aria could tell she was still trying to put together whether the whole thing was true or a fragment of her imagination. Spencer's was something that Aria had not expected. The tall brunette's features were pulled into a look of despair and what appeared to be disgust, as she opened her mouth to lecture Aria on what her morals should have been and how she knew all along that seeing Ezra was a bad idea.

But no lectures came, nor did any other movement from the group for what seemed like a whole five minutes, but soon enough, Emily – of course it had to be Emily – coughed, causing Aria to look up from her untouched plate of food. This seemed to trigger something, as Hanna shifted in her seat uncomfortably and fiddled with her hair grip. Spencer's face, however, was still sour and undeterminable.

"Well, are you sure?" Emily asked, cautiously.

Aria looked at her friend in bewilderment. "Of course I'm sure, Emily! I wouldn't be here telling you if I wasn't, would I?"

Emily shook her head, settling back into her awkward stance. It was Hanna's turn next to comment, and Aria dreaded what she would have to say. "When did you find out?" Aria was surprised at Hanna's question; she figured it would take each of them a while to take it all in, and she was grateful for Hanna's genuine concern and interest in the news.

"I took the test a couple of days ago," Aria started, bringing her eyes up to meet each of her friend's antagonizing faces. Hanna appeared irritated, as though she wanted to add something but wasn't quite sure what. Spencer looked as if she wanted to input to the conversation, but couldn't break herself out of her stubborn silence. Emily danced around in her chair as if she was about to burst with notices of precaution and safety measures to warn Aria of every, single possible risk that could implicate her and the baby's health. Trust Emily to be thinking about the negatives already. But she couldn't exactly be mad at her; it was impossible with her dedicated, sweet and loving nature. Plus, she was the only one who was marginally on the road to supporting Aria.

"Oh my god. Okay, so we need to get you to a doctor and talk over your options. Oh and we need to make sure you're healthy and we can see how far along you are." Emily looked exasperated as she hurtled off measure after measure, reassuring Aria of things she was already aware of. "Oh and I know this isn't really any of my business, but have you told the father? I mean, I know it'll be hard but if he isn't on board then you can count on us to help you out with an–"

"Emily!" Aria practically shouted at the frantic girl, the excessive rationalising of her outer monologue beginning to give Aria a headache. "Emily, calm down," she continued, managing to finally catch her friend's attention.

Hanna and Spencer looked toward each other, almost as if they were having a private conversation using telepathy.

"I went to the doctor yesterday. I'm four weeks along and I'm doing just fine, thanks." Aria's tone was sharp, and she realised it was harsh; she couldn't expect them not to freak out about this, it was a shock, after all.

"That's great, Aria," Hanna said, reaching over to place her hand comfortingly on Aria's. She had to look twice to check her friend wasn't being sarcastic, however, when she looked at Hanna's face all she could see was a warm look of sincerity and complete understanding. Now it was just a matter of breaking through Spencer's wall. The two had always been the closest, and Aria knew she would be able to find a crack and bring down her stubborn façade at some point, but there was no telling to how long this could take.

Then, Hanna asked the question that had been toiling on each of her friend's minds since the moment Aria had told them about her pregnancy: "What did Ezra have to say about it all?"

Before Aria could answer and assure them all that Ezra was one hundred percent on board with the prospect of her impregnated state, Spencer let out a curt laugh and began shaking her head mockingly. "Don't you get it? The only reason she's telling us is because she can't go running to Ezra now. She's too much of a coward to tell him because he'll lose his job and dismiss her as his little fling," Spencer stared into Aria's eyes as she spoke, her voice filled with disregard.

Boiling rage took over Aria as she pushed her plate of food into the middle of the table and began to raise from her seat. If Spencer wasn't willing to be happy for her, then she wasn't worth being around. She didn't want unfaithful people like Spencer corrupting her child's life. Her child would be surrounded by people who valued friendships, and cared for their friends like sisters in times of need.

"Where are you going?" Emily called out as Aria marched around from the window side of the table.

"I need to be away from her," Aria hissed, glaring down towards Spencer as she passed her spot at the table. "Oh, and for your information; Ezra was ecstatic about finding out he was going to be a father. We can't wait to bring this baby into the world and love it more than anything." She stormed through the foyer and passed the Grille's bar, Emily following at her heel like an obedient little dog.

"Aria, Spencer didn't mean that," Emily said, desperately trying to mend her two best friend's bond.

"Oh really? Well she sounded pretty convincing to me," Aria snapped, but instantly felt terrible as she watched the hurt cross Emily's face. "Em, I'm sorry. I just…this is so new to me and I just really wanted the support of all four of my best friends. I didn't think you'd judge me like everyone else is going to. I know I screwed up, okay? I know. But I don't need people reminding me every five minutes because I'm terrified. I don't know how to look after a baby, I don't want to walk into school and have to hear the endless rumours about how I had a one night stand or fucked someone else's boyfriend. I wanted to tell you guys – my friend's – because you are the only people who can understand the truth. You are the only people who can visualise the love and care that this child is going to receive from both of its parents. You guys mean the world to me and I'd hate to lose any of you because of this."

Tears were falling freely down Aria's cheeks as she nervously awaited Emily's reaction, but soon the tall brunette reassured all of Aria's worries by bundling her up in a warm embrace, giving her the much needed hug she'd been longing for since she discovered the truth of her pregnancy. Since she had found out, Aria had taken it in her stride to be cool and controlled about the whole idea, not only to prove to herself that she could handle being a teen mother, but to prove to others – to Ezra – that she would be a fit candidate to care for his child. But even though it had only been two days since her news became official, Aria's plan had accumulated some kinks, and with raging hormones and her body changing in ways she found it difficult to imagine, Aria was finding it hard not to break down. Which was why today, when she set off to tell the people who had been through everything with her, she had really been counting on their support and reassurance – not for them to bring her down from cloud nine and the fantasies of her little family. But it was a true reflection of life; things weren't going to go the way she wanted them to, and she had to accept that some people weren't going to accept this pregnancy as well as she and Ezra had. For now, she was happy having the acceptance of Hanna and Emily, but she knew her life would forever be tainted if her friendship with Spencer was ruined because she refused to be happy for Aria and her baby.

"You'll never lose us, Aria. We always support each other through everything. What Spencer said was out of order, and I can only apologise on her behalf, but I do know that she will come around soon enough." Emily pulled away from their embrace and began to wipe away the tears which flooded Aria's cheeks. "She loves you, Aria. We all do. I know you probably need some time to sort yourself out, so I'm going to let you go," she continued, squeezing Aria's shoulder before looking back to the table the four friends had not long ago inhabited. It looked as if Spencer and Hanna were having a pretty heated conversation, and Emily shook her head at the two girls. "I better go and deal with these two. Call me, Aria. If you don't then I will arrive at your house with cookies and cakes and fresh flowers and smother you with friendship. You don't want that now, do you?" Emily smirked, and gave Aria another quick hug before turning to head back to the table where the other two girls bickered loudly.

Aria laughed at her friend, and watched after her as she tried to reason the argument Hanna and Spencer had gotten into. She could tell by their faces that it was about her, and Aria instantly felt a pang of guilt. If she had caused all this ruckus between her friends already, what on earth would happen as her pregnancy proceeded? Not to mention the bomb which would most likely blow up inside the Montgomery household when they found out the truth. Aria dreaded the day she had to face them, and vowed to procrastinate for as long as possible, although it would only be a matter of time.

As she left the Rosewood Grille, Aria pulled out her cell phone and searched her contacts for Ezra's number. They hadn't made any arrangements to meet up today as Aria had thought she and her friends would have hung out for a while, maybe had one of their traditional sleepovers in Spencer's barn. But given the last hour's turn of events, Aria wasn't sure Bridesmaids and hot coco were really on the cards for this evening's plans.

She chatted with Ezra for a while as she wandered through the streets of the suburban town she knew too well, and told him about her day so far, and the mess she had created with Spencer. After nearly breaking down into tears a grand total of four times within their twenty minute phone call, both Ezra and Aria agreed that it would be best for Aria to spend some time alone for the night in attempt to calm her hormones. Besides, Aria had barely spent any time around her family in the past four days – always feeling fidgety and awkward in case they suspected something – and Ezra had convinced her that they would only grow more suspicious the more distant she became. A family night didn't seem too bad right now, either; she was looking forward to being able to relax and joke around with her brother like old times.

They ended their call with their usual routine, although this time, Ezra's sentence contained the words 'I love you both' in reference to their little child who was slowly, but surely, developing right now. The sentence made Aria squeal with joy and happiness, and again, she began to fantasise over the new journey she was about to embark on, like she had been whenever she had a free moment the past few days. It was really happening, and nothing could take away the warm and secure feeling Aria was experiencing knowing her little baby was now the size of a poppy seed, and soon enough would be blooming into a spectacular, full sized flower.

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**I hope you enjoyed the first part of Small Bump. I've really enjoyed writing it, and I'd appreciate if you reviewed and told me your thoughts. Part two will be up soonish! xoxo - Kate.**


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